You are here

Paris City Council has a light agenda

The Paris City Council will meet Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 6 p.m. at the Municipal Building for its regular monthly meeting. Aldermen normally meet the first Monday of the month but are meeting on Tuesday in September because the first Monday is Labor Day, a holiday.

Aldermen have a very light agenda for the meeting. There’s only one item listed, amending the city code enforcement ordinance which was enacted in 2007.

“I’m wanting permission to hire contract labor to do some of the clean up work under the code enforcement ordinance,” Paris Mayor Daniel Rogers said. “We’d hire someone to do the work only if city employees are busy with other work. I think we need that option on clean up work if city employees are busy and can’t do it.”

There is one item of business still before the City Council which could be discussed — levelized billing. However, Rogers said Aldermen will have to bring that up if it’s to be discussed.

In the August meeting, Rogers brought up his plan to offer residents and business owners the option to levelize their utility bill. Under the plan, they would pay a 12-month rolling average that would fluctuate only a little, according to Rogers.

At the August meeting, Alderman David Rhineheart made a motion to consider the resolution, however, it didn’t get a second. It can be considered in September under unfinished business, Rogers said.

“I’m not going to bring it up,” Rogers said. “It’s been brought up and discussed three times and it still hasn’t been voted on. It could be brought up under unfinished business, but an Alderman is going to have to do that.”

The objection to the idea, coming from elected officials and city employees, is that the city’s computer software can’t handle a levelized bill and would have to be updated, which those opposed say would be expensive, according to Rogers. Rogers says he’s gotten assurances from the city’s software provider that the city’s system can produce a levelized bill.

“I’ve answered all their questions,” Rogers said.”The initial costs would be modest, if any at all. So, it can be done.”

Even if the idea isn’t acted on in September, it could be brought up at a later date.

“I could definitely bring it up in the future, but I’m hoping residents and business owners are talking to their Aldermen. I can put forward ideas but I can’t vote on them. The City Council has to do that,” Rogers said.

“I hope Aldermen will get behind this idea,” Rogers said. “If they had acted on it and it passed, I was going to conduct the initial sign up period in September. Unfortunately, it looks like that’s not going to happen now.”